St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-07-28
SEEING THE EDITOR.
An Ice Cream Man Replies to News
paper Attack.
Blu Nue. IN the Ne,o York World

paper Attack.
BIZ Nye IA the Neae York World.
The elevator boy said L would have
, to be more explicit. If l wanted the
city editor, or the marine editor, or the
literary editor, or the polo editor, OF
the birth and death editor, or the
scrapping editor, would find them in
but the managing editor and the tele-
graph editor, and the night editor, and
the mirth editor and the bathing edi-
tor were all out.
L did not know who 1 ought to see,
but l got desperate and sent up my
card to the scrapping editor. 1t was a
wild thing to do, but l did it, for
thought l could see him, and if l did
not feel like fighting him l could post
pone it the way other pugilists did.
had to wait quite while before
could see the fighting editor, for he
was busy with some other men who, l
presume had dropped in to lick him
early SO as to be home for lunch.
Finally, [ went in and found n small,
good natured man. that could have
handled without much trouble, but
when | stated my business he said that
it was not in his line at all, but that
ought to go to the city editor. By
that time the city editor had gone to
lunch. l waited for him till | got so
hungry myself that l thought l would
fall apart.
When he came he had about 10 men
to talk to all at once for an hour or so !;
then he let me in and | told him what
the trouble was. He didn't remember
any such story in the paper as l spoke
about, but would find out about it and
see what reporter handed it in. Mean
time he would advise me to write out
a statement of my side of the case and
leave it there. He would investigate
the matter when the reporters got in
in the evening.
| went to a long table and wrote
most all the afternoon on piece which
was not so scathing when got through
with it as | thought it was going to be,
so tore it up. Then l wrote another
one. 1t was quite bitter, but not so
bitter as | wished it had been. 1t had
tame places in it where it seemed to
all fatten out and fail to get there. l
never suffered mentally so much in my
life and now and then when l wiped
my brow on the tail of my linen coat
could see that the city editor seemed
to enjoy it. By dusk / had completed
an article that was carefully written,
and yet | did not expect that it would
be copied very much. 1t was inclined
to be ornate in its style, and still there
were words in it like "eggregious," for
instance, that l didn't feel sure that
had spelled right. 1t was now night,
and l went home, leaving my article
for the morning paper, and feeling
proud that | was getting mixed up
with literature.
My wife was anxious to find out if /
had anybOdy's gore on my hands be-
fore | went in to dinner, bnt | cOnvinc-
ed her that my heart was still pure
and guiltless, but that 1 had written a
piece for the paper that would stir up
the town in the morning.
That night didn't sleep much, and
in the morning l got up early and
waited around the corner for a paper.
l looked it through hurriedly, but did
not find my piece. Most everything
else was there, however. 1t was crowd
ed out! Probably the husband milk
sociable editor had piece that he
wanted to run in in place of it, and
owing to his influence he succeeded.
l was greatly irritated. had lost one
one day from my business, but l de-
OluOo W uOW " tHO
and see what the matter was.
This time l got to the city editor at
once but it was another man. The
city editor had seen the day before
had gone to Coney Island, so had to
go through the same thing all over
again. He thought had better write
a statement that would show my side
of the case, and then he would ask the
reporters who it was that had handed
in the story and we would have it rec
titled some way.
He was very pleasant man, but l
told him | had spent the day before
writing red hot rebukes which had not
been printed, and could not give my
whole time to journalism. l told him
that | was in the ice cream business
and that | had been attacked by the
paper and wanted to be set right, but
| couldn't come down every day and
take the brunt of editing that paper,
especially when my stuff didn't get
printed.
But he said if | would write anOth-
er statement he would promise that it
should not be overlooked, and said |
that as L was cooler now L would no
doubt write better piece. So | was |
AOOi w NtlOO hdpuOOulO
card for the paper. 1t took me till |
1870, and as near as | can remember |
simply proved over my own signature
that L was an ice cream man who as
pired to be large straw cOlOred jack
ass. When | took it to the city editor
he asked me if L had the slip cut from
the paper to which L had referred. !
produced it. He looked it over mo-
ment and then he said:
81 am sorry that you have been here
for two days and sprained your think
er over this matter, and absorbed your
time preparing an exhaustive article
for our paper in your defence, for this
slip is cut out of some other paper.
Don't know what paper it is, but we
haven't got any such type as that in
our Office"
He then stated that he would not
detain me any longer, and don't be-
lieve he could if he had wanted to. |
went down the stairs rather than meet
the elevator boy again, and soon found
myself on the street. | bought my
wife new dress on the way home,
and told her | had thought better of
my assassination scheme on her &C
count.
Samantha at Saratoga.